Wheels off detailing

kevincwelch

kevincwelch

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I wanted to get some opinions from you guys who do wheels off details. Obviously you are taking off the wheels to detail the wheels themselves and the wheel wells. Many of you are coating the wheels at this point.

Are you doing this before you wash the vehicle and then replacing the wheels or are you washing and correcting the vehicle with the wheels already off and then replacing the wheels when everything is done?



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I would do it before a wash instead of having the car on jacks and being out of reach for my short arms. On the other hand, if you wash first and then do the wheels, you won't get the just cleaned wheels dirty with rinse water.
 
Wheels off detail:

- It makes more sense to do the body/paint first, so when you reinstall the wheels, you are then not introducing water, dirt, and product to the wheels, tires, and wheels wells. You can always set the vehicle on jack stands at the start of the detail, and then proceed in whatever order you choose.

- The better access to the wheel wells makes better access to the suspension, any paint work, plastic or rubber trim, and shrouding.

- Wheels off allows for easier removal of all brake dust from the complete wheel, not just the face.

- Also allows for polishing, coating, sealing, and waxing the wheel well.
 
I do the wheels last in that instance. No point to going all out just to have everything get all wet and potentially water spotted again.
 
Good feedback.

I would think that taking the wheels off at the very beginning would make the most sense. That way I could wash, decon and correct the car, including the wells, separately from the wheels and then replace the wheels at the very end.

I would have no problem with the reach, but I would wonder if having the car on jacks for 8 hours would be fine.

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kevincwelch said:
Good feedback.

I would think that taking the wheels off at the very beginning would make the most sense. That way I could wash, decon and correct the car, including the wells, separately from the wheels and then replace the wheels at the very end.

I would have no problem with the reach, but I would wonder if having the car on jacks for 8 hours would be fine.

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Having it under the jack points and you should be fine.
 
kevincwelch said:
Good feedback.

I would think that taking the wheels off at the very beginning would make the most sense. That way I could wash, decon and correct the car, including the wells, separately from the wheels and then replace the wheels at the very end.

I would have no problem with the reach, but I would wonder if having the car on jacks for 8 hours would be fine.

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Click to expand...

Kevin, sounds like you've got some time on your hands and the car looks to be getting a serious cleaning, huh! I'm guessing those dirty pics that you post from time to time have gotten to you, LOL!
 
My wheels off detail steps:

- Wheels/wells/tire deep clean while on car
- Wash & decontaminate
- Dry everything
- Remove wheels, prep, and coat
- While curing, I do test spot and dial in correction
- Reinstall wheels after some time
- Cover wheels with covers and finish car

It may seem redundant to do a deep cleaning while on car, but when I take them off, they are easier to handle and may require a small amount of touch cleaning before prepping to coat.

If I had a lift, i would do things different. This works for me and I stay efficient.
 
Jackpoint jackstands are what I have.

Roger: thinking about the spring already! Also have a friend with a car to sell and the ride needs serious repair.

Carolina: good idea to stagger the process like you do. Sounds like you have the process dialed in.

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A little advice. Make sue you have or get a good torque wrench and torque lugs to factory specs. Your assuming a huge liability removing and installing wheels.
 
•Whether it's "The Two Bucket"; or,
a "Hybrid version" of the RW/WW
car-washing processes...
-This has become my favorite
"wheels-off" detailing method:

•First:
-Make sure the vehicle has undergone
your chosen washing processes...
(clean & dried).

•Secondly:
-Using proper jacking/jack-stands protocol:
remove tire/wheel assemblies from the
vehicle, so they can undergo their
washing processes (clean & dried).

•Next:
-Perform the necessary prep on the
wheels/tires, for them to receive the
application of their respective sealing
and dressing products.
-Seal wheels; dress tires.

•Then:
-Install wheel/tire assemblies
(torque lug nuts to spec)
-Reverse the prior jacking/jack-stands
operation---returning the vehicle
back to the floor.

•Now:
-Cover the wheel/tire assemblies.
Example (Photo courtesy
of Mike Phillips@Autogeek):

IMG_19971.JPG


•You can now correct the vehicle's paint
without any worries about contaminating
the tires/wheels.

•Works for me. YMMV.


Bob
 
DaveT435 said:
A little advice. Make sue you have or get a good torque wrench and torque lugs to factory specs. Your assuming a huge liability removing and installing wheels.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Always preferred to torque to specs.

50-250 lb torque wrench, breaker bar, Milwaukee impact wrench, 3 ton jack and 4 jackpoint jackstands. I usually do the rotations and winter/summer swaps on my vehicles.
 
I do take the wheels off to thoroughly clean the barrels and at that time also clean the wheel wells. I’m in the process of making my own wheel detailing stand. Just waiting on some more parts to come in . Once I have it all set up I will send it out to be powder coated and a clear coat. Once I have it all complete I’ll post pictures of it. Can’t wait to show it off ��
 
At least twice a year I put my vehicle on my lift and clean up the barrels of the wheels thoroughly, seal the wheels in their entirety, and clean and dress both sides of the tires. My tires and wheels stay cleaner doing this at this frequency. I then proceed to inspect and detail the undercarriage. For those who remove the wheels from the vehicle, you might as well rotate your tires when the time calls for it.
 
That’s what I love about having a lift. I have a Twin Brusch mid rise Scissors lift.
 
Well I finally got all my parts in for my wheel detailing stand. I been wanting to design this for a long time and when I finally got this done someone else beat me to making one. I’m not completely finished with this one yet but wanted to share it with you all.
 
I have to say I’m not great at putting photos on here. Sorry about that. It’s a job in process but I’m very happy with it so far!
 
The one online sells for over $300. Maybe for pros but need something more economical for week end guys




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